Motel de la Mer — Hotel in Napier

Great little motel in a fairly central location minutes walking distant from many shops and the aquarium. Right across the street is the Marine Parade Playground, one of the reasons we chose to stay here with our 3 year old.

Motel was older but updated, clean, well kept. Free laundry on site, just one washer and dryer but they only have like 14 or 15 rooms total, it was always available when I walked by.

Parking is limited. We fortunately were able to find a space each time but they do have more rooms than they have spaces.

The room - we were in room 11, I believe it was called the executive spa suite (but it was not really a suite, see bottom of review).

Living area - with a TV, writing desk, one couch and 2 chairs, not comfortable, don't plan on spending much time there.

Kitchenette - electric kettle, sink, microwave, 2 burner stove top, mini fridge, along with cutlery, cooking utensils, equipment, plates, cups etc.

Bedroom - nice big spa tub comfortably fit 2 larger adults and a 3 yo. Bed was okay, mattress definitely felt old and cheap. Would have been nice to have a decent mattress for the price we paid.

Bathroom - stand up shower stall, good pressure, body wash, shampoo conditioner provided, the window in the bathroom was not sealed well so it let in a ton of cold air over night and ended up with condensation on the inside.

Room was serviced every day.

Heat pump with heat/ac in the room.

Be warned being right across from the park does come with some noise and smell sometimes. They were shooting off fireworks for hours one night and smell of the smoke permeated out room.

The reason I took off a star is because this room is NOT REALLY A SUITE. There are 2 doors and a wall to close off the bedroom from the rest of the room, but that wall includes an enormous open "window", no glass, just wood blinds. So there's no sound barrier whatsoever. This is very misleading in the pictures and had I known it was like that, I would have chosen a different motel with a true suite room, especially...

My wife and I recently spent four nights at the Motel de la Mer in Napier and couldn't have been more impressed if had stayed at the Ritz. To begin with, we had booked a standard room, but when we arrived were upgraded to one of the two penthouse suites which were much larger than a standard room. The lady at the check in desk said it was not booked so we might as well have it.||The hotel has a great location on the Marine Parade about ten minutes from the Art Deco section of Napier and five minutes from the aquarium. The walk to both is along the path that fronts the ocean and is very pleasant. ||The suite was well equipped for housekeeping and the guest laundry was free which was another pleasant surprise. In addition to the shower there was a spotlessly clean looking hot tub.||The balcony was perfect for sitting out after dinner or for breakfast.||The room had a list of preferred restaurants sorted by type, price and location and was very useful.||Unlike many places these days, there was daily maid service which kept the rooms fresh.||The TV had a subscription to Netflix which did not require signing in.||There is onsite parking.||All in all this is simply a great place to...

OMG, we just had the most incredible stay at this motel!!! 🤩 The host was super accommodating and helpful, we can't thank them enough 🙏. I surprised my hubby with a Father's Day weekend getaway and the penthouse room was absolute perfection 💯. It was so spacious and private, with amazing character and spotless throughout ✨. The spa bath was the icing on the cake 🍰, we soaked away all our worries and felt like royalty 👑. The bed and bedding were like sleeping on cloud nine ☁️, fresh, clean, and ridiculously comfortable 😴. And the best part? You wouldn't even know you're close to the road, it's that quiet 🙏. Plus, the free laundry facilities were a major bonus 👕👖.

But what really made our stay stand out was the location! 🏖️ We didn't even need a car - just walk across the road and you're on the beach 🏞️. And within a 5-minute stroll, you've got restaurants, a convenience store, and an ice cream parlour at your fingertips 🍦👌. Talk about convenient! 😊 Our only regret is having to leave 😔. We'll definitely be back, this motel is our new go-to getaway spot ❤️. Five stars isn't enough, I'd give it ten stars if I could...